


Lost in Translation

by Broken_Synchronicity



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Fluff and Humor, Gen, I finally did it, I have no control of this man anymore, I haven't written one of those in yEARS, It's more serious than Lav's and I'm sorry, Kallisto is just having the WORST time, Language Barrier, Mild Angst, Mild Language, No seriously why is Crowley like this, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Ramshackle Dorm has a FLOOR PLAN!!, Responsible Crowley??? WHO ARE YOU???, This is more an SI-OC than Yuu, Worldbuilding, strangly Crowely is very Dad here, yes its That AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:53:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27614447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Synchronicity/pseuds/Broken_Synchronicity
Summary: Look, it was hard enough getting Isekai-ed into a weird ass magic world and getting shoved into schoolagain, but for the love of all that is holy-WHY IS THERE EVERY SPOKEN LANGUAGEEXCEPTENGLISH?????
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 107
Kudos: 397





	1. ˌdisbəˈlēf (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Twsty-Lav](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Twsty-Lav).



> Key;
> 
> "Words" - Speaking
> 
> "[Words]" - Speaking in an unfamiliar language
> 
> \----
> 
> Suspention of Disbelief
> 
> Def. - The intentional avoidance of critical thinking or logic in examining something surreal, such as a work of speculative fiction, in order to believe it for the sake of enjoyment.

_Words have life, and in time, may even bind ones right to live._  
  
_\- Yuuko Ichihara, xxxHolic_

\----

_Blink_

_Blink_

No matter how much blinking is done, the scene presented to you does not change.

A dark, circular room full of tall windows and floating _coffins_. Pillars with hanging _green_ -lit lanterns of an unfamiliar make.

And one very unfamiliar floating... Cat... Racoon... _Thing_ , that, from the looks of it, used _blue_ fire to break open _your own_ coffin, you screaming all the while. Then proceeded to shriek upon noticing you.

"[Why are you awake!?]"

"I- What? I'm sorry?"

You're too busy trying not to faceplant onto the floor under your coffin that you didn't catch any of... whatever garbled mess of words that was. The cat-thing doesn't seem to get you either.

"[What in the world are you even- No, nevermind that.] Ningen! [Give me your clothes!]"

Wait, wait, ' _Ningen?_ ' It's speaking _Japanese_ at you?! Think brain, think! What have you learned from all of your anime and self-teaching?

"Ch-chotto matte kudasai! W-watashi... wakaranai!"

"Ha?! [What's there to not understand?! Just give me that uniform, or I'll roast ya!]"

_Fwoosh!_

Fire bad!!! _Fire bad!!!!!_ Oh God, it's getting angry and you _still_ have no idea what's going on!!

"Kimi! Kimi wakaranai! Watashi hanash- hanasanai de!" You stumbled through, but you at least caught yourself before mixing up ' _don't speak_ ' with ' _let go_.' Still, this only made the cat demon madder.

"[What do you mean you mean you don't speak!? You're talking just fine right now! Ngah, no, I don't have time for this! Just give me you-] _Nhgack!!_ "

Ok. You hit it. With your shoe.

... _Fuck it!_ You're done with all this nonsense! You're noping the fuck out of here and finding someone who speaks English!

You thank whatever higher force for the existence of slip ons, locate the nearest exit, and bolt before Cat demon can recover.

\----

Ok, _maybe_ running in the first direction available wasn't the smartest thing you could have done, but come on!! You were working with limited knowledge and under duress!

Where the _fuck_ are you???

Sprinting through halls and passing through various rooms only makes you more confused. Reaching a courtyard of some kind shows you to be in some kind of castle, but castles don't _exist_ in the US!!! The nearest castle would be across the ocean and any in this kind of condition would be a museum that you _certainly_ wouldn't have the money to enter!

It's twilight out, the sun only just beginning to sink, and only now do you take a moment to breathe. You may not be particularly out of shape, but even you have limits. And then you noticed your clothes.

 _What_ are you wearing?? A cult robe?? It's... actually very pretty now that you're looking at it.

The outer robe is black with a deep purple inside, extremely fancy gold embroidery lining the bottom and sleeve hems, and oooooo this is a nice hood! Hides your face real well. The inside also has this crossed gold key pattern? Makes you think of Kingdom Hearts. It's clinched shut at your waist with a belt of the same deep purple, and there's a weird... key shaped... holder??? hanging off the belt.

The under shirt is black as well, extends past the hem of the coat down to your knees, and with a collar that reminds you vaguely of a priest's outfit. The sleeves extend down into one of those little loops for your middle finger like those sleeve-glove things you do not know the name of. It has gold embroidery along the shoulder and a bit of the chest too, though you can't quite get a good look at it from this angle.

Black slacks and weird matching boots completes the look.

Well this is some fancy cult get up if you've ever seen any. Makes you feel more like some kind of dark mage or something.

You can at least feel that you're wearing a tank top under it all, so... not _completely_ left without your own clothes.

You still don't know where you are though. And you haven't seen any other person since-

_Fwoosh!_

Screeching and cursing as blue fire nearly takes your eyebrows off, you're pulled violently out of your musings by the devil you'd just thought of.

"[Did you really think you'd get away from my nose? Dumb human.]"

You still can't understand a damn thing the cat is saying, but you can definitely read its smug superiority at finding you.

"What is your _problem_!?" You growl quietly to yourself, knowing you don't have the linguistic skills to properly say that to the demon that's been a pain since you woke up.

"[If you don't wanna get roasted, better hand over-]"

The cat starts, but doesn't get to finish as a... rope? _Whip_? Comes out of nowhere and ensnared it. The cat struggles against it, grumbling more you can't understand well, as the one holding the other end finally registers in your mind as being there.

"[This is no mere rope. It is a lash of love!]"

Ai no... what?? Did he call it a whip of love or something??? What the _fuck_???

And what in the world is he wearing??? Some kind of dapper Bird Gentleman aesthetic going on, fancy shirt and vest combo with the feathered cape thing, black bird mask, and top hat. There are little keys and _mirrors???_ adorning his outfit and he even has a cane in the hand that isn't holding the whip that has the cat.

You could stare at him and try and pick apart his whole outfit, but then he's turned and addressing you and you're not sure how to handle the tone of disappointment when you can't even understand 98% of what he's saying.

So far, the only word you think you've picked up on is ' _gate_ ,' but literally one word doesn't give you enough context outside the scolding you know you're getting for something you have no clue as to have done and have had no chance to speak up.

He continues on and says something to which has the cat protesting and you can at least pick up the ' _Hanase!_ ' it groans out through its continued struggles.

The dapper birdman seems nonplussed and then proceeds to wrap the whip around the cats mouth to stop it's protests.

He then turns back to you and says a little bit more and then finally you see a point that you can say something.

"A-Ano... Watashi wakaranai desu."

"Eh? Nani ga wakaranai no?" He blinks down at you with the glow of gold from behind his mask and _Jesus christ you're only now noticing his ears are pointed._

"Uh... kimi... hana- su...?" Fuck, this is going to be a train wreck, but you hope to God he can at least get you to someone who speaks English. "Nihongo o hanasanai."

Except Birdman continues to blink down at you in confusion.

"Nihon-... [What in the world are you saying, young one? I'm not quite following...]"

"Dare ka... Ingurishu... hanaseru?"

"In... guri..."

" _English._ " You try one more time, praying that you can get something through to this man. "It there someone who speaks _English?_ Onegai. Wakaranai hanase."

 _That_ seemed to have gotten some kind of reaction out of him, as he snaps up and almost flinches back. Even if you don't _understand_ the reaction, it's _a_ reaction so you just- keep going.

" _Please_ , I don't know what's going on. I woke up in a _coffin_ , was attacked by a cat demon, and now I'm here and you're the only other person I've _seen_ and _please_ tell me someone here speaks enough English to get me _home_ -"

"Matte, matte, chotto matte kudasai!" He stops you hastily, seeming panicked.

Ah, you've worked yourself up too much. You can feel the sting of tears in your eyes. The man is hovering as if unsure of how to proceed with a grown teenager crying and speaking a language he doesn't know.

So you wrap your arms around yourself and try to calm down with a deep breath.

"'M sor-..." Ah, no, wrong one. "... Gomenasai."

"Ah... Hai."

Fuck. You want to go home.

\----

Dire Crowley knows something has gone very, _very_ wrong.

Upon finding the broken and scorched Gate, one of the last few that were to be opened, Crowley has initially felt both confusion ( _what_ could have done such a thing to the Gate?) and a small sense of annoyance (the student who did this was going to be in _trouble_ and school hadn't even _started!_ )

So he did the most responsible thing he could think of: inform the other teachers that he will be looking for a wayward freshman and for them to continue to awaken the new students and proceed with the sorting with the Dorm leaders.

It had taken more time than he'd liked; the sorting may take a long while but he knows he needs to find this lost child before they finish.

And he _does_ find the child.

(Not how he wants or pictures to. He thinks he'll find them wandering the school, possibly getting into some kind of mischief if they've the _gall_ and means to break open the Gate.

He finds them because they _screamed_ , and the part of him that is _Headmaster, Teacher, Guide_ is reeling because _My Student Is In Danger There Is A Danger In My School_ and his heart seizes for a fraction of a second as he turns the corner where the scream came from-)

He _also_ finds what he figures is the culprit that opened the Gate. A cat-like creature, a familiar to the student perhaps, though untamed and undisciplined if the fact that it's threatening the student says anything.

Subduing the creature is easy with his lash, and scolds the child inturn with the familiar. The child, at the very least, listens quietly and obediently, unlike the familiar he had to silence.

Except-

"Ano... I do not understand."

The following conversation spirals out of control so fast he's not sure how it happened. The child was speaking broken Common and of things he's never heard of. Then they get frustrated and for a second, he'd thought the child had used their _Unique Magic_ on him.

But then they _kept going_ , speaking the most fluent Old Trade that he's ever heard in his _life_ , and he can only pick out so many words before he has to make them stop.

And he knows that something has gone so _terribly_ wrong as he tries to keep the child calm.

A child who may very well should not have been _able_ to be brought to this school.

But the child is wearing his school's ceremonial robes. The Carriage _had_ brought them here, somehow. He cannot, in good conscience, as Headmaster and an Educator, leave this child helpless. So he takes a deep breath first, then clears his throat.

"I." He speaks slowly, gesturing to himself. He can do this.

"Help. You. For I am kind." He gestures back towards the child, hoping he's understood. They seems to have a rough grasp of Common, so he tries the most basic speech he can.

And the relief he feels at seeing the child relax is a wonder as they nod their head.

"I understand. Thank you."

"Now, let's go."

(There's only one person on campus that has any kind of proper fluency in Old Trade. And possibly the Dark Mirror. He hopes that will be enough to get this mess sorted out.

He hopes this mess _can_ be sorted out.)


	2. ˈmirər

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looking Glass 
> 
> Def. Noun - a reflective surface, now typically of glass coated with a metal amalgam, that reflects a clear image.

After the, as you predicted, train wreck of a conversation that somehow turned out ok, Birdman ushers you along the corridors of the castle you've ended up in, cat demon dragging along behind.  
  
You think it will become awkward with silence, but Birdman takes the initiative to try an explain as much as each of your limited vocabularies allow.  
  
"Watashi wa _Dire Crowley_. Kimi wa?" He prompts. You weren't expecting how he didn't say his name in Japanese phonetics, so it took you a second to recover and reply.  
  
"W-Watashi wa... Kallisto Verdreiss. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." You give him a little bow, as well as you can with the slightly brisk pace he's set.  
  
"Yoroshiku, Verdreiss-kun." He smiles and tips his hat in return, and the back and forth continues. (You decide against attempting to ask about the '- _kun_.')  
  
"Um... Koko wa doko?"  
  
"Kore wa _Night Raven College_."  
  
"College? Gakuen?" You were in a whole ass _school?_ What, are you in some Hogwarts knock off?? The cat demon and coffin decor point to yes.  
  
"Hai. Gakuen desu."  
  
If this is a school, then...  
  
"Kimi wa... Sensei?"  
  
"Hai! Watashi wa Sensei to... mn." Crowley paused and tapped at his chin with one of his glove talons in thought.  
  
(God, when you first noticed _those_ gold little bits on his fingers, you didn't know if you were envious or scared. You kinda wanted a set, but you also didn't want to accidentally hurt yourself with them, they looked _sharp_.)  
  
"Watashi wa Sensei to Gakuen-cho* desu."  
  
Wait, hold up-  
  
"Gakuen... _Gakuen-cho?!?_ "  
  
The first human(-ish) person you end up meeting is the whole ass _Principal_ of this School!? You freaked out on the man in charge of this whole place!?  
  
"Hai."  
  
_What is your life right now!?!!!?_  
  
"Ah." You have absolute certainty that you've gone about three shades whiter. Though Crowley- _sensei_ seems more amused at your reaction than anything.  
  
"Daijoubu. Watashi wa yasashii no desu."  
  
Well, so far he _has_ been incredibly kind. At least in comparison to the cat. But still! It's the principle of it! You've never been called to the Principal's office for any negative reason, let alone freaked out at one.  
  
"Ha-... Hai..."  
  
"Ah. Koko ni imasu."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
You're where now?  
  
Upon reaching a somewhat grand looking door, you can now pick up the cacophony of voices coming from the other side.  
  
Oh dear. That sounds like a lot of people. Were they having an assembly or something before you woke up?  
  
Crowley notices your hesitation, and gently places a hand on your shoulder, prompting you to look up at him.  
  
"Daijoubu. Tasuke ga arimasu." He gives you an encouraging smile, before he strides forward to the doors, throws them open, and makes one hell of an entrance.  
  
\----  
  
There is a part of Divus Crewel that does adore teaching.  
  
He enjoys watching his students grow as people. Enjoys watching them make new discoveries, finally figure a difficult task out, find a passion where they hadn't thought to look before. Sciences are a wonder at doing just that.  
  
Yes, he has problem students, and he knows that his particular style of teaching can rub a few the wrong way. But he will still give his whole effort into guiding them, just as the rest of his coworkers do.  
  
But right now, at this very moment, does Divus acknowledge one of the very few things he doesn't like about his job.  
  
The Entrance Ceremony is nearly finished, with the last few students being sorted, and their oh so kind Headmaster Crowley _still hasn't returned_.  
  
Now, Divus trusts Crowley.  
  
Divus could list a good few pages worth of the flighty scatterbrain of a Headmaster's flaws, but Divus _trusts_ Crowley.  
  
Crowley just has a very.... _peculiar_ way he presents himself. But Divus has been around the featherbrain long enough to see around certain masks he's put up.  
  
Therefore, he feels relief instead of annoyance when Crowley decides to make his _Grand_ entrance just as the Dorm Heads decide they want to leave, missing student thankfully in tow.  
  
The relief only lasts a very brief moment when he also spies a cat-like creature (a familiar?) lasso-ed in Crowley's infamous "Lash of Love."  
  
(If Divus knows one thing, it's that Crowley is actually _acutely_ protective of all of the student in his school. There are just... _issues_ he doesn't really want to think about right now in regards to Crowley's inability to actually _be_ as responsible as Divus knows Crowley is capable of being.)

So Divus sits and watches carefully as Crowley admonishes the Dorm Heads, even though he'd only told the _teachers_ about the missing student and not any of the Dorm Heads.  
  
His eyes widen as he sees Crowley turn to the missing student and begin to speak _gently_ and _quietly_ to them.  
  
Crowley is very rarely the second, and almost never the first. Divus can't take his eyes off the normally impossible display.  
  
He watches as Crowley gestures at the student and then points towards the Dark Mirror. He then gestures to himself, taps at his temple, and then gestures to the creature. The student replies with a nod and an equally quiet response. And then Crowley, honest to the heavens, gives the student a true and proper _smile_.  
  
(Not the one Crowley plasters on because he's so 'kind.' The disarming one for the masses, too liken, he thinks, to a Customer Service Smile.  
  
No, a smile Divus hasn't seen for a _long_ while now. One of the ones that had been reserved for behind locked doors, after hours, when there was something he could say he was _proud_ of being the Headmaster of Night Raven for.  
  
He glances at his fellow teachers, making sure they're seeing this too. If Divus had less self control, he is sure his jaw would be on the floor like Vargas'.)  
  
Crowley nudges the student towards the Dark Mirror, giving them (what he thinks is) a final word of encouragement.  
  
As he watches the student make their way up to the Dark Mirror and the creature seeming to renew its efforts in escaping the lash, Divus feels a very unpleasant twist in his gut.  
  
Something is about to go very, _very_ wrong.  
  
\----  
  
" _Kimi ga iku. Yami no Kagami. Tasukemasu_."  
  
You don't know why this "Dark mirror" looks vaguely familiar, but Crowley said it would help and promised to keep an eye on the cat. So, up you went, with the whole of this assembly watching.  
  
God, you're not normally one to get overly nervous being up in front of people, but this is nerve-racking. What were you even supposed to _do?_ Stare at the thing until it showed something?  
  
Your questions were answered for you when a green, floating mask face appeared in the mirror, surrounded by green fire.  
  
And _holy fucking shit it's the mirror from Snow White._  
  
No, freak out _later_ , listen to the mirror now.  
  
"[State thy name.]" It utters, and you repress a shiver. More Japanese. Great. What does it want?  
  
Ok, ok, break it down, what can you pick out? Nanji no na o... _Na_ like from Kimi no Na wa, right? Na from namae. _Name_ , it wants your name, ok.  
  
"Kallisto Verdreiss." You reply as loudly as you dare.  
  
" _Kallisto Verdreiss_." It repeats perfectly. "[The shape of thy soul is...]"  
  
' _Tamashi_ ,' that's _soul_ , right? It's... looking into your soul? By the faces it's making, (that you would have probably found funny if you weren't as tense as you were) it is getting one hell of a gander at your spiritual innards.  
  
"Wakarane."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
It doesn't _know?_ What does it mean _it doesn't know?!_ What does that mean for your soul!?  
  
(What does that mean for your chance to get _home?!_ )  
  
"Nandesu tte?" You hear Crowley ask the mirror, just as confused.

"[I sense barely a spark of magic from this one. A seed planted, but yet to even take root. A weak ember in a vast darkness. The shape, the color, it is all too new, too small for me to read properly. Therefore, I cannot sort this one into a dormitory.]"  
  
Yeah, ok, it's lost you. But you can tell that it's _something_ that's caused a stir. What, did it declare you Satan or something?  
  
Crowley seems rather baffled and frustrated at whatever the mirror had said, pacing in quick circles from his place closer to the other adults in the room, muttering something you can't make out right now.  
  
You don't like this. The whispers of the student are starting to get to you, and you're starting to get a sinking feeling.  
  
And as if karma had decided to hear your thoughts about this continuous shit pile of a ride you've had so far, that bloody cat demon finally gets free of Crowley's whip.  
  
"[Then I'll take their place!]" It declares, flying up out of reach of everyone somewhere over you're head. Crowley yells, what you think is, for it to come back, calling it a _tanuki_.  
  
(You are fairly certain it is _not_ a racoon-dog, roundness to it included.)  
  
"[Unlike that dumb human, I can use magic! Let me in the school instead!]"  
  
Is it seriously using ' _Ore-sama_?' The thing would barely come up to your knees if it stood on all fours like a normal damn cat!  
  
"[If you need proof, I'll show you right now!]" You watch as the cat takes a deep breath and a magic sigil faintly appears beneath... it...  
  
Oh _sugar honey iced tea!_  
  
"[ _Everyone, get down!_ ]"  
  
You don't need to understand the words to understand _that_ command. You immediately drop into a ball and cover your face with your hood as the cat practically _spews_ blue flames like some kind of fucking real life Pokémon. Screams erupt around you as panic takes over everyone.  
  
And so chaos decends upon the student body of Night Raven College, with you unwillingly at it's epicenter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Technically, when introducing himself in the prologue, Crowley uses the term _Koucho_ for Headmaster. And Crowley, being slightly more perceptive here, guesses that the term might be a little TOO technical for Kallisto (I sure as hell didn't pick up on it until after going back and listening specifically to that line.) So he picks the more plausibly familiar _Gakuen-cho_ , that the students use (Vil specifically calls him this in the initial Ceremony scene in prologue 2).
> 
> Whew, and here is prologue part 2! Unlike the first chapter, posted at 2 am in the usual sleep deprived insomniac author fashion, this was edited and posted at work between customers (long periods of being entirely without any customers in the store is a blessing in disguise I guess.)
> 
> Hope you all like questionable exposition. You'll be getting that a lot here.
> 
> Also, Divus is surprisingly fun to write.
> 
> See you all next time.


	3. ˈlaNGɡwij

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dead Language 
> 
> Def. - A language which is no longer in everyday spoken use, such as Latin.

  
In all honesty, Azul had hoped that his second time at Night Raven's Entrance Ceremony, not as an incoming freshman, but as a Dorm Leader, was going to be calmer. Floyd wasn't here to cause a ruckus like last time, and he'd hoped that once all was said and done, that would be it for the day, Headmaster's presence or no.  
  
_That_ hope went up in smoke with the rest of the Mirror Chamber when the strange creature the Headmaster had brought in with the missing freshman got free.  
  
Now students and teachers alike are trying to douse the insistently burning blue flames that reminded him uncomfortably of Idia and Ortho's hair.  
  
(Could the creature have originally come from the Isles of Lamentation? He'd need to ask Idia the next chance he can.)  
  
"Somebody catch that racoon!" He'd heard the Headmaster call over the screams.  
  
_Ah, an opportunity for favors._  
  
He ignores the commentary from the peanut gallery and the strange freshman running down from the Dark Mirror's dias to aide Kalim and hails the Headmaster.  
  
(He'll also need to make note to send Jade and Floyd to keep an eye on that freshman. Whatever is going on with their magic, he needs to see where it goes, and see if it's a worthy... _investment_.)  
  
"Crowley-sensei, please leave it to me. I'm sure the others couldn't stomach harassing the poor creature, so I will take it upon myself." He announces.  
  
"That's Azul for you. Always trying to earn himself points."  
  
Idia knows him _so_ well.  
  
The banter continues between the Headmaster and the Dorm Leaders enough so that the creature - _Grim,_ it calls itself - proclaims again that it will be the greatest Magician ever.  
  
"It certainly has moxie. Care to help me Riddle?" He calls to his fellow Dorm Head.  
  
He knows the red haired Dorm Head is exceedingly strict with all rules, so he knows this disturbance will put Riddle as the one most likely to help him.  
  
Besides, Riddle's Unique Magic will make this a breeze, certainly. All he will need to do is find a way to get the creature to hold still long enough for Riddle to get the collar on.  
  
How hard could it be to corral the pitiful thing?  
  
"I can't overlook those who break rules. Let's hurry and get this over with."  
  
_Perfect_.  
  
\----  
  
Things have gone so quickly to shit, your head is spinning and your lungs are burning in your attempt to not scream in panic with the rest of the students.  
  
Or maybe that's the smoke inhalation.  
  
Either way, you know shit's hit the fan and you have no idea how to help.  
  
"Uwa!! [Hot! Hot! Hot! My butt is on fire!]"  
  
You're fairly certain as to what the tanned-skin boy with the... head scarf? Turban?? near you is saying, considering how animatedly he's flapping at the smoke coming from his rear.  
  
Ok, maybe you _can_ help in some way. Now, how did the Tokyo Ghoul lyrics go-?  
  
"Matte! Ugokanai!" You call out to the boy, dashing up to him and taking one of his arms. Though startled, he complies enough for you to spin him around so that you can see the embers burning away at the hem of the outer coat of the robes.  
  
You pull at the hem of your sleeve and cover your hand with it, then begin swiping at the hem of the robe firmly and quickly with your sleeve, trying to brush away the burning part of the coat without setting your own coat on fire.  
  
You're thankful for the double layering of sleeves, but it's still not a pleasant sensation, running your arm over actively burning clothes, but somehow, you're able to get the burning to stop.  
  
Once you're sure the fire won't start up again on the cloth, you turn back to the boy, who you're only realizing is just barely taller than you.  
  
(Huh, you don't meet a lot of boys close to your height.)  
  
"Daijoubu?" You ask him, and the boy beams at you like the damn _sun_.  
  
"Hai! Arigatou gozaimasu! [You really saved me there!]" He takes your hands in his and shakes them a bit, cheerful and bright like he hadn't just been running around with his ass on fire.  
  
You saved the overwhelmingly positive one in the bunch. Lucky you.  
  
"Ah- i-iya, mondainai." You stammer out. Looking around briefly, trying to escape a very awkward situation, you notice that some flames still ravage room. New ones pop up as the cat - you _think_ you heard it call itself Grim? - seems to be fighting with a pair of students, shooting off more fire in retaliation.  
  
"Hm? [Are you looking for something?]"  
  
Does a magic school even _need_ fire extinguishers? Then, the next best thing is...  
  
"Mizu no Mahou?" How did 'something' and 'anything' match up again? Ah, right! "Nanka! Nandemo! Mizu! Motto mizu!!"  
  
"Mizu no...? Ah!" A light in the attic! Finally! You see the boy pull out a... is it supposed to be a wand of some kind? It looks more like a pen with a big gem on the top. It glows a bit as he waves it above the two of you-  
  
" _Oasis Maker!_ "  
  
\- wait, _what?_  
  
You yelp as suddenly it starts pouring rain from nowhere, not even clouds hanging in the ceiling, just, - _boom-_ rain. The creature - _Grim?_ Is it called Grim? - also shrieks as both it and all it's fire start hissing and sputtering out.  
  
" _Off With Your Head!_ "  
  
Accents that _very much weren't Japanese_ asside, _that_ was fucking _English_.  
  
Now there are more discussions going on that you can't understand, primarily between the redhead (who seems to have made a... magic sealing collar? appear) and Grim( _????_ ), with a comment by the glasses wearing boy who proposed the capture.  
  
(Glasses boy is giving you some _shady_ ass vibes with his tone, unfairly handsome face notwithstanding. And the only reason you even keyed in to the conversation at all were the words ' _Riddle_ ' and ' _Unique_ ,' of all things, popping up. Unless 'Riddle' is the redhead's name? Who names their kid _Riddle_????)  
  
You're broken out of your thoughts as Crowley comes to your side.  
  
"Daijoubu desuka?" He asks, placing a hand softly on your shoulder. You nod and Crowley seems to sigh with relief.  
  
"[We'll have that creature thrown out immediately. We won't have it turned into a stew, for I am gracious. Someone please help.]"  
  
You don't know what Crowley is being so kind about, but you can that since you didn't hear anything about death or killing, the cat's just being thrown out?  
  
The cat makes one more proclamation about him... absolutely, absolutely.... 'Dai Mahoushi?' Great... Magician, right? Something about him becoming a great magian?  
  
The grand doors slam behind the students carrying out Grim and there's a part of you that can't help but feel... a little bad.  
  
Why was he so desperate?  
  
Your eyes don't leave the doors even as Crowley makes the announcement to end the ceremony. You have an odd feeling in your gut.  
  
You shuffle yourself closer to Crowley's side as he mentions someone called _Draconia-kun_ that gets literally _everyone_ in a tizzy. Whoever he is, he seems like someone important.  
  
After a bit more conversation that goes over your head, it seems everyone is going to leave when Crowley calls one of the others over.  
  
"[Actually, Vanrouge, could you help me with one thing after taking the students to your dorm? It will be brief, I promise.]"  
  
"Oho?"  
  
You see a shorter boy, _Vanrouge-kun,_ break off from one of the groups and _float_ over to you. He stops in front of the pair of you, bright _red_ eyes looking on curiously.  
  
(At the same time, Vanrouge's eyes seem to... look _through_ you, like he could read every part of you, or that he sees something you don't. You don't know how well you can keep eye contact with him.)  
  
"[And what might I help you with?]"  
  
"[Well, I suppose the best way to explain, is to simply let you hear for yourself.]"  
  
Crowley turns to you and makes a quick set off gestures that you interpret as 'Talk to _this_ person.'  
  
So you do.

"Can you understand me? _Please_ tell me you can, I think we're both getting desperate here."  
  
Vanrouge blinks in surprise, likely just as taken aback in the fact you're speaking in a language you are guessing is not particularly common. He composes himself quickly though, and replies slowly, in heavily accented, but still understandable-  
  
"Now this is a language I has't not hath heard in a _long_ time. 'Tis quite baffling."  
  
_Shakespearean_ English. But English all the same. The relief you immediately feel nearly brings you to tears.  
  
"I'm the one who's in shock that I've only met one other person who speaks the same language as me." You huff a small laugh and dab at your eyes with your cleaner sleeve.  
  
"No, I would not believeth so. For the language thee and I art speaking hath not been in useth in... at least four centuries. "  
  
"... _I beg your pardon?_ "  
  
English... hasn't been in _use_.... in four hundred years?!? You're essentially speaking the equivalent of fucking _Latin_ to these people!?  
  
(Wait, then how does- oh, pointy ears. Not Human. Ok, you're talking to an ancient, possibly immortal being. _Great_.)  
  
"Four... _hundred_..." you wheeze out, "Well. I'm lucky that you're here then, yes?"  
  
"Forsooth, very lucky."  
  
"Do you think there's a way to get me home? I'm fairly certain that I'm not supposed to be here. This is a Magic school, right? I don't even _have_ magic, but someone here has to know something about getting me home."  
  
_Something_ in what you said must have confused him, as he furrows his brow a little and gives you a once over. His eyes seem to stop at you're... collarbone? Throat? You're not sure what he's looking at, but he seems to have figured something out by the way his eyebrows raise. You just tip your head in confusion, and it snaps Vanrouge back to reality.  
  
"We can asketh the Dark Mirror. It may has't a way to returneth thee home."  
  
"Ok. Yeah, at this point, I'll take anything." You nod as Vanrouge turns to Crowley, informing him of what if going on.  
  
"[We're going to try and see if the Dark Mirror can send Mr. Verdreiss home. Though, from what I've gathered... well, we'll try anyways, just in case it works.]"  
  
"Sou... ka. [Then, let's see if the Mirror can send them back. If the situation is not as I fear it is...]"  
  
"[If this isn't successful, you and I will need to _talk_ after this.]"  
  
You don't know what was said exactly, but Crowley looks uncomfortable, though Vanrouge doesn't seem to care, instead turning back to you.  
  
"I shall returneth anon."  
  
"You have my gratitude for all this." You give Vanrouge a little bow as he returns to escort his group out, leaving you and Crowley as the only ones in the room now.  
  
You look about the room, only now taking in all the damage done to it by Grim. Scorch marks are everywhere and anything that may have been flammable that had been hit has been reduced to charcoal and ashes.  
  
Crowley doesn't let the silence last as he clears his throat, catching your attention. You look up at him as he reaches out to gently squeeze your shoulder.  
  
"Nani ga okotte mo, subete ga daijoubu desu." He says, quietly, yet firmly. Reassuringly.  
  
_Whatever happens, everything will be ok._  
  
You hope so. You really, really do. You don't think you can handle anymore crazy.  
  
It's not long until Vanrouge returns, quite literally appearing from nowhere in the room. It did make you jump a bit, making Vanrouge _giggle_ softly.  
  
"To the Mirror?"  
  
"To the Mirror. [Crowley, if you will do the honor?]"  
  
"Hai. Kochira desu." Crowley guides you over to the Mirror once more, the face returning from the blackness within. It's gaze still unsettles you.  
  
You don't get the chance to gaze at it long, as Crowley gently squeezes your shoulder once more. You look up at him instead of the mirror, finding him giving you an encouraging smile.  
  
You give him the best one you can, but somehow, something in you is sending off alarm bells. Something feels off.  
  
Crowley faces the Mirror and calls out,  
  
"[Oh Dark Mirror! Guide this one back to the place they belong!]"  
  
...  
  
The Mirror just looks on, and you suddenly feel _sick._ Crowley starts to try again, but the Mirror interrupts.  
  
"Doko ni mo nai..."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"[The place they belong is nowhere in this world... It does not exist.]"  
  
Crowley says something in reply, but you've stopped listening over the ringing in your ears.  
  
It is nowhere.  
  
It _does not exist._  
  
_You can't go home._

The world seems to tilt on its axis. You can vaguely feel your knees hit the stone as you fall to the floor, curling in on yourself so much that your forehead is nearly pressed to the floor. Everything feels so far away, and you're sinking into an underwater abyss. You're certain that if you start breathing again, you won't be able to catch any air. Your vision is swimming and-  
  
" _Breathe_."  
  
Bright, _brilliant_ red. Striking. _Ancient._ Looking right _through_ you.  
  
_Vanrouge_.  
  
You choke on a breath. Vanrouge is sitting in front of you, holding you up by cradling your face, forcing you to meet his eyes.  
  
"Look into mine eyes. Doth not turn thy gaze hence. Thee wilt beest calm and _breathe_."  
  
Vanrouge takes an exaggerated deep breath and some part of you pieces together to follow along. You feel a larger hand, _Crowley's_ , running soothingly up and down your back. It takes both their efforts, but you manage to bring yourself back from the spiral of a panic attack.  
  
Though once your body gains enough of itself to take a breath proper, all it does is come out as a _sob_.  
  
And like that, you're crying on the floor, lost, being comforted by strangers in an even stranger world.  
  
Vanrouge gives you a pitying look, and guides your head down to his shoulder. You are too miserable to not take whatever kindness he gives, and allow yourself to cling to his robe and sob your heart out.  
  
At some point, your despair loses force, and darkness takes over kindly, pulling you down into a dreamless sleep.  
  
\----  
  
Lilia gazes down at the poor child he's been cradling on his shoulder for the last few minutes. He had cast a very weak sleep spell, meant to help ease them slowly to sleep, but the child conked right out as soon as he'd used it.  
  
He shifted carefully, letting them rest better on his shoulder, and turned his eyes to Crowley.  
  
Crowley who looked several shades of concerned. As he well _should_ be.  
  
"Young man."  
  
Lilia's voice is quiet, but the gentle force behind it immediately gets Crowley to tense and peel his gold glow from the child.  
  
"You are going to explain why we have what seems to me to be a _time traveler_ in your school."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's another post brought to you by 2am insomnia! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrated.
> 
> And so the seed of shenanigans has been planted.
> 
> I'll fix up any mistakes in the morning.


	4. dôrm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ramshackle 
> 
> Def. - (especially of a house or vehicle) in a state of severe disrepair.

Awareness returns in increments.  
  
Touch first; the lift of your breath moving your clothes, the cradle of a pillow at your head, and the soft pressure of a blanket.  
  
Hearing next; the quiet rustle of paper and cloth, and the scratch of a pen to one side of you.  
  
Finally, you are able to peel your eyes open -God does that _sting_ \- and are greeted by dim candlelight and an unfamiliar ceiling.  
  
Where...?  
  
Your brain is slow to process anything, even as you hear the pen scratching stop and the paper be placed aside.  
  
"Verdreiss-kun?" Comes a voice to your right. You're able to turn your head enough to catch sight of a dark bird mask with gold glowing eye lights.  
  
You blink once, twice.  
  
Ah. You remember now.  
  
"Crowley.... sensei...?" You croak. He smile down at you softly as he moves to sit on the bed instead of the chair he was in.  
  
"Hai. Konbanwa, Verdreiss-kun." Crowley isn't wearing his hat or overcoat, leaving him... smaller looking. You wouldn't call him _skinny_ , but he's actually not as broad as the average adult male.  
  
(It was probably the coat, now that you think about it. The way he wears it makes it seem like he's broader than he actually is.)  
  
"K-Konbanwa..." You glance around the room once more. There are more beds lining the wall, and a shelf by a desk houses what looks like potions and pill bottles.  
  
The Nurse's Office, you conclude, and look back up to Crowley.  
  
"Ima, daijoubu?"  
  
"H-Hai..." He helps you sit up, and from this position, you can see the papers both stacked and folded on the side table. You can tell it is Japanese written on the stacked papers, but you're reading comprehension is far more lacking than your auditory recognition.  
  
Crowley, rather than making more attempts to communicate, instead follows your gaze to the papers. He makes a quiet ' _Ah_!' and reaches for the folded papers.  
  
He holds them out to you, and when you hesitate, he just smiles and nods, offering them again.  
  
"Vanrouge-kun." He says, and you guess that means it's going to be in Ye Olde English at the very least.  
  
So you take the papers and unfold them, relieved at the sight of a familiar, if looping, alphabet.  
  
_Sir Verdreiss,_  
  
_I wilt do mine best to explain thy circumstance._  
  
_Twisted Wonderland is no longer as thee knoweth it._  
  
_As we understandeth, thou has't traveled several centuries forward in time, and we has't no method with which to sendeth thee back._  
  
_In turn, thee wilt attend this school as a normal student, albeit a magicless one. Headmaster Crowley wilt bringeth thee to an unused, abandoned dormitory on campus. It may needeth repairs, but it should serveth thee well. Crowley wilt eke supply thee with any necessities thee may needeth._  
  
_Though many things shall beest confusing, we shall do our most wondrous to accommodate thee. I shalt returneth to thee soon with a hopefully helpful guide for frequent Common phrases translated into Olde Trade._  
  
_Has't heart,_  
_L. V._  
  
You read over the letter a couple more times, just to make sure you're reading it correctly. You may have enjoyed Shakespeare when you had it in Literature classes, but you _did_ have a translation guide if you were looking at it in the original form.  
  
Still, the first lines make your eyes widen in disbelief. Few centuries forward in time? They think you're a _Time Traveler??_ And English, or Old Trade you suppose, really is the Latin of this world, Twisted Wonderland? Japanese is the _common language???_ There's also a part of you wondering if this is some weird Disney world or something, if the name and Magic Mirror say anything.  
  
Your head is spinning at the revelations just presented to you.  
  
(Also they think you're a boy??? You're not, and you can at least say you're not a boy or girl in Japanese, since you don't know the term for Nonbinary. Well, you're definitely gonna need to tell Crowley you're not _physically_ a boy at least. Somehow. _Later_.)  
  
But what do you _do_ with this information? How much of this is a safety net, and how much is going to be detrimental?  
  
You scrub at your face, sighing. Might as well see to the rest of what this letter said.  
  
You look back up to Crowley, who has patiently been watching you.  
  
"Um..." Fuck, there are so many basic words you don't know or remember. You need to find out what other languages are spoken around here, hopefully there's one you know better than Japanese.  
  
Crowley, however, is still waiting for you to speak.  
  
Well, here goes nothing.  
  
"Uh... Kimi..." You gesture to Crowley, then the letter, and then draw a vague house shape in the air with your hands.  
  
"Dormitory...?" You ask, slowly pronouncing the word.  
  
"Hai. Dormitory. _Ryou_." He slowly parrots, emphasizing the last word, you suppose the word for Dormitory.  
  
(Hell if _that's_ not going to get confusing. You think you can remember like, three other words pronounced 'ryou.' Fuck limited phonetics.)  
  
"Ryou." You nod in confirmation. "Ikou ka?"  
  
"Ikou desu."  
  
You take his offered hand, and he pulls you up and away.  
  
\----  
  
They don't get visitors often.  
  
The children who attend Night Raven now understand that an abandoned dorm is rather boring, somewhat dangerous, and incredibly filthy. Most usually stay away, though recently, they've witnessed a Fae from the Valley coming and going.  
  
A right terrifying Fae, that Draconia, but he seemed rather intrigued by the dorm's architecture, so they let him be.  
  
(It was unspoken that they were too scared to approach him in the first place. No one wanted to see if it was possible for a _ghost_ to die.)  
  
What was unexpected was when the Headmaster of all people showed up with a student in tow.  
  
From in the walls, they watch as the Headmaster leads the uneasy and unimpressed teen to the foyer. What really gets them is that the teen doesn't seem capable of speaking well. Broken Common coupled with charades seems to be the primary communication between the two.  
  
"This is the Ramshackle dorm." 

"Ram-sha-ckle dorm. Yes."  
  
"You. [Stay.] I. Return. Food."  
  
"[Stay.] You. Food. I understand."  
  
"Good. I'll be off now."  
  
With that, the Headmaster left. The child stared at the door for a few seconds, before slowly glancing around. They sigh, slipping their robe's hood down off their head.  
  
An effeminate face is framed by chin length, ash brown hair, forehead exposed without a curtain of bangs. It gets shorter in the back, spiking out thanks to hair products and its own length.  
  
Brown eyes like chestnuts, a rarity among the populous, scan warily around the dilapidated building.  
  
"[Well... I guess it's better than nothing... I should probably find a room that won't kill me if I'm gonna be staying here.]"  
  
_Ah, now isn't that a surprise? That sounds like... Old Trade?_  
  
_How interesting our new guest is!_  
  
The child locates the stairs and carefully ascends, slowly testing each step so that it doesn't collapse under them. Once they reach the top, they begin opening each door, peering in to check each room.  
  
Some have no furniture, some have holes in the floor or ceiling, some doors don't close or are missing entirely.  
  
Some doors don't open anymore, warped by time and wear until they sealed themselves shut, accessible only to those who are incorporeal. Or who aren't afraid to break the door down. This child doesn't seem to want to make anymore than a simple attempt to open the sealed doors.  
  
_Odd that the child hasn't made a move to use any magic._  
  
_It feels weak, but even weak magic can cast simple spells, and the child's magic also feels_ _ **old**_ _._  
  
_Not unlike that Draconia's._  
  
The child finally comes upon what used to be the Dorm Leader's room. The largest and best of the rooms, and the one most intact.  
  
They step inside, taking in the room better. It seems they deem it suitable.  
  
"[I guess this is the best I've got. Should probably check the mattress and stuff...]"  
  
They move to the bed and begin to remove the threadbare sheets, decades worth of dust flying up at the slightest touch.  
  
Coughing and sputtering, they wave their hand to clear the air and pulling their collar up over their nose.  
  
["Christ, how long has this place been abandoned? The power seems to work... Does this place still have running water? I should probably check that too. God, what the actual fuck, setting me up in a place this fucking run down. They're lucky I'm not particularly scared of bugs or mice, or they would have been in for one hell of a rant, understanding or no."]  
  
_It seems the child is trying to fill the silence with talk._  
  
_It's rather entertaining to listen to!_  
  
They putter about the bed, doing their best to get the dust out of the sheets, finally reaching the worn out mattress. They give the mattress a once over, then press down on sections that seem to interest them. 

"[I should flip it, right? The underside is probably cleaner and less coming apart, right? I hope?]" They find a grip on the side of the mattress, and with a heave, flip it over, careful not to let it land hard on the rickety frame. They finish for the moment by putting the pile of sheets in a lump on the bed. 

It was then that the weather decided to make itself known, thunder rattling the dorm, quickly followed by the pounding of rain. It made the child look up at the ceiling, concern flickering across it.  
  
"[Rain, great. Well, at least I'll know where all the leaks are right off the bat. I should probably see if there are buckets or old vases or something to catch it in. Maybe in the kitchen...]" The child makes their way quickly out of the bedroom and back down to the foyer.  
  
They don't make it far when a new guest arrives.  
  
"Hyiiii! It's really coming down!"  
  
_Oho? What's this?_

 _Another guest?_  
  
Crawling in from somewhere is a cat-like creature with flaming ears and a forked tail. It's appearance was very much not appreciated by the child. Which in turn greatly amused the cat.  
  
"Gyahaha! You've got this stupid look on your face like a spider being attacked with a water gun!" It laughed. It continued to boast about its skills in sneaking into the school, as if it would show how grand it is.  
  
The child merely looked on blankly, completely uncomprehending. Well, mostly.  
  
"Ano... You. This school. Why?"  
  
"Oh? So you can understand me? Well then, I'll explain!" The cat goes on about how it's a genius that will become the greatest magian, except the Dark Carriage never came to get it. It instead makes a snide comment about the Dark Mirror not having an eye for these things, and how it would be a waste for it to not be here.  
  
Even if the child couldn't understand most of the words, they did seem to pick up on the cat's body language and tone. They were about to say something, when they're previous task reminded them of its imminent need for completion.  
  
"Nyaa! So cold! The roof is leaking!" It squealed. As more water leaks, the more the cat complained.  
  
The cat even went as far as to call the child useless since they couldn't use magic, but the child seemed to have tuned the cat out by now, focusing on finding the leak's origin.  
  
_The child can't use magic? Despite them having it?_  
  
_Is that why they haven't used any?_  
  
_Hey, hey, what if we scare them into using it? Think that will work?_  
  
_What a brilliant idea! Let's give our new guests a warm welcome..._  
  
_Hehehehe..._  
  
"[....? Why am I getting the feeling of being watched...?]"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my day off. If I want to post a new chapter, then goddammit I will! Lol
> 
> The ghosts said this is _their_ chapter, so they get the longest pov!
> 
> If you give me a bit, I'm gonna leave a link to Kallisto's profile on my tumblr, now that I've given them a description. I have.... SO many Picrews of them, it's not even funny...
> 
> EDT: [Here is Kal's current profile!](https://broken-synchronicity.tumblr.com/post/636963666047221760/lost-in-translation-profile-kallisto-verdreiss)


	5. ɡōst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haunt
> 
> Def. - (of a ghost) manifest itself at (a place) regularly.

By some miracle, the kitchen still had many pots and pans left in the cupboards.   
  
Actually, aside from food, the kitchen was well stocked with necessities all gathering dust and rusting away like the rest of the dorm. A strange assortment of both metal and ceramic kitchenware, which all look incredibly vintage, make you _very_ wary of using until you run them through a dish washer at least twice.   
  
(At least you think it's ceramic, it could very well be enamel like some of the stuff your grandma has, you could never tell the difference well. You're pretty certain you have both tin and cast iron in there, though.)   
  
And the water _did_ run in the kitchen at least. Took a couple of seconds to kick in (and made a few very worrying sound initially,) but it worked and was clear as far as you could tell. Same with the fridge, though it wasn't very cold since it seems the power only recently came back on.   
  
Had Crowley turned the water and power on just for you? It made sense. It would be a waste to power an abandoned building.   
  
You gathered what you could, running around and seeking each little puddle you could find, leaving the worst looking leaks to the large vases you found scattered in the halls, Grim following behind you after realizing you stopped paying attention.   
  
Also, you didn't realize just how freaking expansive a three story dorm actually is?   
  
So far, you've found; a parlor, a main lounge connected to a smaller lounge and a _loft_ , the kitchen and dining hall, two separate staircase, small half bathrooms beside the far staircase by the dorm rooms, one per floor, the communal showers, three storage rooms, one of which may have been a study, a door to a _basement_ , what you think may have been a tea room or something, and a mini library squared away in the _turret_.   
  
There's four to five dorm rooms per floor if you go by the numbers still hanging on doors, plus what seems to be extra guest rooms in the top floor.   
  
You haven't exactly been in a dormitory or even been to college yet, but for it's simplicity, this feels incredibly upscale to you. It must have been homey and warm in it's heyday.   
  
What happened to make it no longer be in use?   
  
It's no use thinking about it now.   
  
You has decided it would be easiest to start with the rooms you knew would most likely have leaks, the ones with holes in their ceilings. Somehow, you had been able to convince Grim (which was indeed his name) to carry a few of the smaller pots.   
  
(Ok, it weirded you out just a _tiny_ bit watching him walk around on two legs, but at this point, you stopped questioning any logic in reference to Grim.)   
  
After getting pots under the most obvious leaks in the main hall, you head up one of the stairs. You haven't found all the light switches yet, so the only thing lighting the hall was the faint light on lampposts outside and the occasional lightning flash. You need to find that light switch. You won't be able to see any leaks, and you're not interested in _feeling_ for them.   
  
"Light switch, light switch..."   
  
_Thud!_   
  
"Gyii!"   
  
You jump at the sudden sound of something hitting the floor, followed by Grim's squeal of terror. He's lucky he didn't drop any of the pots he was carrying.   
  
You glance around, trying to locate what could have made that sound. Spotting nothing, you turn back to the hall as lightning flashes, lighting your path and   
  
three   
  
transparent   
  
silhouettes   
  
that vanish as the lightning fades.   
  
_Oh fuck no. Not this shit._   
  
And then the disembodied laughter started and you knew it wasn't just a trick of the lightning.   
  
Ghosts.   
  
The dorm is fucking _haunted_.   
  
Of course. Why the fuck not? Let's take every supernatural trope and shove it into the span of 24 hours.   
  
"[We haven't had a guest in so long...]"   
  
"[I'm itching for some action.]"   
  
They laughed more as they let themselves become visible. Three of them, a smaller one, a rounder one, and a thin, lanky one.   
  
"Gyaaaaa!!!!! O-Obake!!!" Grim screams as he backs into your leg.   
  
Despite their rather cartoony appearance, you feel the chill of fear slide itself down your spine. They have you and Grim surrounded, and unless you pull some Major League Baseball sliding maneuvers, you're only option is to go _through_ them. And you're not particularly keen on finding out what it feels like to phase through a ghost.   
  
The ghosts start speaking more, and you do pick up the word 'ghost,' but the tone doesn't exactly say 'we have good intentions.'   
  
What do you do, what do you _do_??? Think, think!! How in the hell do you make magical ghosts stop and leave you alone?? A cross?? Bible verses?? Would Christian exorcism prayers even _work_ on ghosts from an entirely other _world_?? Salt?? Do you remember any runic charms for protection??   
  
"[Grim the Great Magian isn't scared of some ghosts!!!]"   
  
Wait, fuck, you forgot about _Grim!_   
  
Before you could say anything, Grim had launched a fireball towards one of the ghost. A rather off kilter fireball that was easy to dodge for the ghost.   
  
One of the ghosts swoops near your head, startling a shriek out of you and making you drop into a crouch as Grim fires off another fireball.   
  
It's then you notice that Grim has his eyes closed as he's shooting, making the likelihood of his misses increase exponentially.   
  
As Grim keeps missing, the ghosts tease and make fun of him, as indicated by their laughter. It in turn, only winds Grim up more, and at this rate Grim's going to burn down the whole dorm.   
  
"Grim! Kimi no me! Tojira ja nai!!"   
  
"Urusee! [Don't tell me what to do!]"   
  
Fuck, what was give, what was give?! Miku songs, Miku songs-   
  
"Tuna agemasu!"   
  
_That_ got Grim's attention. But the ghosts seemed keen on not letting it happen. It only takes you a moment to read the hesitation beginning to spark in Grim.   
  
"Motto tuna! Watashi oshiete migi to hidari!" You're frantically pointing, trying to get your words across. And Grim thankfully gets it.   
  
"[Fine! You tell me where they are!]"   
  
"Hai!"   
  
Alright, now how did you remember which was left and right? You made up one with the ASL letters...   
  
_M_ igi sits in your right hand...   
  
_H_ idari points to your left! *  
  
 _Now_ you're in business!   
  
\----   
  
Humming a wordless tune, Crowley was making his way back to the Ramshackle dorm, thankful that the rain had only been a sudden, quick downpour.   
  
He had procured some simple foods from the kitchen ghosts; some various sandwiches, a bit of fruit, and a container of chicken soup. Nothing terribly unrecognizable or unfamiliar, and can last for a few days in the fridge.   
  
He might have to explain the fridge to Verdreiss. And the toilets too, perhaps, if he thinks about it. They would have just been invented, if Verdreiss wasn't as far back as they estimated.   
  
_Ah, one thing at a time, Dire. You need to think about how to go about finding Verdreiss's Mother Language first._   
  
For now though, he's arrived at the rickety gate to the dorm. The unlocked, nearly off its hinges, gate. Oh dear. This is something else he definitely needs to get fixed sooner rather than later, if he's going to be having someone live here. Even just a basic security measure is better than none at all.   
  
Slipping through the gate and closing it as best he could (he didn't want to restore to magic just yet, until he could at least find a proper replacement for the gate,) he headed up the short walkway.   
  
He sees that Verdreiss figured out the light switches at least. The ground floor is alight, plus a few of the upper floor lights, dusty yellow spilling out with the one odd blue, so maybe most of the lights still-   
  
Wait, _blue?_   
  
_Oh no._   
  
Crowley reaches the front door before his mind can catch up with his movement. He forces himself to slow down enough to not incidentally break the door down, but he throws it open with enough force that the creek of the hinges is worryingly loud.   
  
He hastily sets the food down on a side table by the entrance and quickly makes his way to the stairs, and it's then that he finally registers voices.   
  
"Left! Right! More right!"   
  
_Verdreiss?_   
  
"Two person left! Left, Grim, _left!_ "   
  
"Fnaaaaag!"   
  
_What in the world-_   
  
The scene he comes upon is nothing as he feared. Instead of the stubborn racoon trying to harm Verdreiss again, it's Verdreiss giving out directions to it in order to keep away a trio of ghosts.   
  
(He'd almost forgotten about those three. They were the only reason this dorm hadn't collapsed in on itself entirely by now, but he never gave them too much thought unless it was students attempting to vandalize the old dorm. Otherwise, he just let them be.)   
  
With teamwork, (actual _teamwork!!!_ In _his_ school!!!) the pair chase off the ghosts, and the threat of the dorm burning down due to recklessness goes with them.   
  
The racoon blusters about a bit as Verdreiss slowly sinks to their knees and plops themself on the ground. They then run their hands through their hair and take a deep breath, letting it out as a hoarse, slightly hysteric giggle, mouthing something he couldn't catch. Despite that, they turn back to the racoon and give it a crooked, but earnest smile.   
  
"Grim is amazing!" Verdreiss complimented it. It beams back, puffing out its chest despite its stammered bluffing confidence in its reply.   
  
Even if this is something unprecedented, he still can't let it roam around unsupervised. He threw it out, so it cannot stay.   
  
Except... how did Verdreiss get it to listen? It isn't his familiar, that much is certain. Could it be that...?   
  
_Well, let's see how this plays out_.   
  
Crowley strides out from his hiding spot, steps alerting the pair to his presence.   
  
"You! You're the monster who ran amuck during the Entrance Ceremony. I threw you out of the school, what are you doing here?" He demanded.   
  
"Hmpf! I exterminated your ghost problem. Be greatful!" The creature boasts.   
  
He plays along. He lets the racoon explain things, with Verdreiss doing their best to supplement where they can.   
  
Still, Verdreiss bribed the racoon (Grim, for the sake of not agitating the thing) with tuna they don't have, and still got him to comply. Maybe it speaks for how, despite the language barrier, how convincing Verdreiss can be, or maybe that Verdreiss had a way with non-humanoid beings.   
  
Or maybe it's just Grim's lack of forethought.   
  
Either way, he only caught the last part of their little duel with the ghosts. He wants to see a little more, just to be sure of a few things.   
  
So he tells them just that. He'll be the ghost, and they fight him off. He tries bribing Grim with tuna, for he _is_ gracious, but it's only when Verdreiss mentions the school and is helped along with finding the words for 'stay,' does Grim reluctantly comply.   
  
He's glad he keeps a transformation potion on himself for times like this (and that he chose tuna salad as a few of the sandwiches he brought.)   
  
If things are as he believes, maybe he can at least have an idea of what may come. And maybe if he can get Verdreiss to make the racoon to behave, then maybe he could delay the inevitable just a bit...   
  
Now then,   
  
_Show time, Dire!_   
  
\----   
  
You know what? Fuck this whole ass place.   
  
After fighting off Crowley transformed into a ghost (what the actual _fuck_ ) because apparently working together is a myth around here or something, you and Grim are both exhausted and ready for the world to stop throwing curve balls at you.   
  
Crowley is saying things, but you're so done with everything thing that you don't even try to translate anything for yourself. So when he starts muttering to himself, you just go ahead and break that.   
  
"Ano... Grim. Koko ni iru?"   
  
"Eh?" Crowley looks up at you from his mutterings.   
  
"Grim. Stay. Koko." You know he knows ' _stay_.' Why that particular word, you don't know, but right now, it's helping. Though neither of them seem to believe what you're saying.   
  
"Demo-"   
  
" _Iie_." You don't let him disagree. If you're going to be the one magicless student in a magic school, you're getting the fucking cat demon who _is_ magical to help you, even if it's just so you have something to set asshole teenagers on fire for you.   
  
"Grim wa mahou. Watashi wa mahou ja nai. Watashi-tachi issho ni iku." You _absolutely_ know that last sentence is a mess, but it sure as hell gets your point across.   
  
Crowley doesn't seem to like it, and Grim is gaping at you like you just grew another head, but somehow, you can tell Crowley can't really say no. He turns to Grim and reluctantly begins speaking, and you sit back and watch the show.   
  
"[Alright, I will allow you to stay here with Verdreiss, as per _his_ request. Verdreiss _was_ chosen by the Dark Mirror, despite his lack of a proper dorm or magic. I can split his registration in half between the two of you, so that you will each be half a student. That way, together, you will be one student, and you both can attend classes.]"   
  
"[R-Really!? I can stay here as a student!?]"   
  
"[ _However_ ,]" Crowley interrupts Grim's cheering, "[before I officially do that, I'm putting you on a trial period.]"   
  
"[Eh? Trial period?]"   
  
"[You need to prove to me that you won't cause a ruckus like you did at the Entrance Ceremony.]" Crowley sternly glares down at Grim, making the cat shrink back. 

"[As a punishment for endangering your future fellow classmates, I'll have you do a few menial tasks. Cleaning here and there, passing things between the teachers, little things like that. Verdreiss will help you, of course, as a Supervisor of sorts, to make sure you _are_ behaving. If you can prove you won't cause another incident like that, then I will officially make you a student here, for I am gracious.]"   
  
Grim looks a bit upset, but you caught 'batsu,' _punishment_ , in there, along with your name, so you think you know what's got him down.   
  
You kneel down to Grim's level and gently place your hand on his back. He looks up at you, confusion clear in his wide blue eyes. You give him an encouraging smile and pat his back lightly.   
  
"Watashi tasukete. Watashi-tachi ganbatte ne."   
  
"[Nhg. Fine! I'll do it! I'll make you regret throwing me out that first time!]" Grim seems to have gotten his fire back, no pun intended, and you beam at him. Crowley gives you two a moment, before bringing attention back to himself by clearing his throat.   
  
"[Now, I've graciously brought food. You two must be starving by now.]"   
  
It seems you and Grim share one thing in common, you've found.   
  
If there is a mention of food, you're there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 1am and there's a horrible snowstorm going on outside, so this is brought to you by that loud nonsense.
> 
> Two notes for this chapter! The floor plan for Ramshackle that I'm using, for the most part, and because I want an actual floor plan for this damn dorm, is actually from [ this wonderful artist's designs here](https://mobile.twitter.com/i/events/1286986413259423745)! They're the only person I've seen do this, so I want everyone to look at their hard work and praise it!!! PRAISE IT I SAY!!!
> 
> And the *other note is that; I made up that little ASL remembrance for left and right in Japanese on the spot as I was writing this when trying to figure out ways to remember which is which. Even though my ASL has suffered greatly from disuse, I still remember the alphabet well, and realized that the signs for "H" and "M" work out for telling Migi and Hidari apart when signing with your right hand.
> 
> Well then, that went on long enough! If anyone wants to yell at me on Tumblr, [I'm right here](https://broken-synchronicity.tumblr.com/)! Otherwise, leave a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!
> 
> (Who is this Crowley, why is he being responsible, WHAT ARE YOU DOING???????)


	6. ˈtrəb(ə)l

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Troublemaker 
> 
> Def. - a person who habitually causes difficulty or problems, especially by inciting others to defy those in authority.

Waking up to an unfamiliar ceiling should have alarmed you. Yet the old, stained ceiling of the _Onboro_ dorm only gives you a sense of resignation.  
  
Not just an overly elaborate dream. You really are stuck here.  
  
You close your eyes again and listen to the early morning; Grim sleep talking beside your head, the creeks and groans of the old dorm, the vague sound of birds outside.  
  
Yesterday had been a doozy. But it ended on something of a high note. The food Crowley brought was lovely, Grim keying in on the tuna salad sandwiches and you digging into the chicken soup. Crowley spent that time slowly filling you in on Grim's punishment, and once dinner had finished, then proceeded to conjure up some clothes and a few basic toiletries for you. Your uniforms, that is.  
  
A standard school uniform, a lab coat, and a gym uniform now fill the still dusty wardrobe in your chosen room along side your ceremony robe. You had used the gym uniform as pajamas, since it seemed the most comfortable and least necessary to keep clean.  
  
Once everything was said and done and Crowley had left, you and Grim had climbed into bed and promptly passed out, doing little more than changing out of your robes and into the gym uniform beforehand.  
  
(Crowley had _also_ magically cleaned the sheets for you. He'd asked what room you'd picked, and you had shown him what you'd already done. Even if the sheets are still threadbare, they were _clean_ , and that you were infinitely greatful for.)  
  
Now that you were awake, even if it may have been at a time that was far too early for your liking, you may as well take this time to see if the showers are working.  
  
You carefully get out of the rickety bed, trying not to wake Grim, gather the standard uniform and the toiletries Crowley gave you, and as quietly as the dorm will let you, make your way to the communal showers.  
  
The early morning light streams in from the few windows, dyeing the halls in a hazy off-white. The quiet creaking of the old dorm is all the company you have as you meander your way to the second floor.  
  
Your thoughts hop around in this time. You've never lived on your own, you're only recently graduated from high school and you hadn't even decided on a career path, let alone a college. You've never lived away from your family for an extended period.  
  
You know that if you were by some miracle to have been picked for one of the actual dorms here, you wouldn't have these thoughts as quickly into your stay, being surrounded by other people. A proper dorm with it's own rules and customs and culture you'd need to learn, to distract yourself with.  
  
Yet, here you are. Fiddling with a cabinet in a shower room of an abandoned dorm trying to find towels and hoping the water runs clean and hot. The wall of mirrors above the sinks are just as dusty as the rest of the building, but luckily none are broken or shattered.  
  
Thankfully, the last residents hadn't emptied the dorm wholly, (or maybe had simply left these things behind intentionally,) because you had found plastic zipper bags of towels in the cabinet.  
  
You set your things on a bench by the sinks and turn to the rest of the room. No more than 6 stalls all together, three to each side. There were likely shower curtains at one point, but the bare poles above the stalls just name another item on the growing list of things that you would eventually need to get your hands on. A wide tub lined the back wall, likely meant to house several people comfortably while the showers were occupied.  
  
You peek into one of the stalls. Minimalistic as it was, it was a small comfort in it's simplicity; little more than a pair of temperature knobs, a shower head, an indent in the wall to place shampoo bottles and such, and a drain in the floor.  
  
You step into the stall and up to the knobs in the wall. Luckily, the knobs still read 'H' and 'C' like you were used to, now you just needed to know if they hadn't rusted in place.  
  
You lightly test the knobs first, and while they don't immediately budge, it's apparent that the knobs aren't stuck fast. Smiling to yourself, you shift around so that you're not in direct line of the shower head. With a little effort, you're able to slowly turn the cold knob until you hear the pipes start. After a brief moment, water finally sputters out of the head, and as you carefully turn the knob, it finally has enough pressure to look like a proper shower, clear water draining into the miraculously unblocked drain.  
  
Cheering a little, you turn the cold knob until it's off, then turn the hot knob on and slip yourself out of the stall. If it's been who knows how long since this dorm was open, it might take a while for the hot water to work again, if it even works at all.  
  
Back at the sinks, you take one of the small rags you found among the towels and give a mirror a quick wipe down.  
  
You really should have not gone to bed without a shower last night. Your bed head is exasperated by the hair products you'd had to spike the hair at the back of your head, and it does _not_ feel pleasant. And while the short locks at the back of your head can spike up on their own under the right circumstances, hair spray or a bit of hair wax is your typical go to when you want to style your hair. Not that that's something you'll be doing any time soon.  
  
(You sigh internally. Until this dorm is actually livable, things like _that_ are going to be a luxury. Hopefully that one finance class you took will pay off now.)  
  
Humming a tune to yourself you begin to remove the jumper to the gym uniform. You appreciate the turtlenecked underarmour shirt that Crowley gave you with it. The more clothes you have, the better in your opinion. A tank top and your underwear being all to your name is not something you want to deal with.  
  
(If you could get ahold of some yarn and some crochet hooks, then you'd be in business. Thank you Grandma for the insistent badgering for everyone to learn how to do that or knitting.)  
  
You lightly folded the jumper and placed it aside, getting ready to pull the turtleneck off when you spot hazy white in the mirror. Steam? No, the water can't have been hot for that long-  
  
" _ **BOO!!**_ "  
  
Shrieking as a familiar lanky face jumps out at you from the mirror, a trio of laughs echo about the room. You spun around, instinctually pulling down on your tanktop under your turtleneck to hide your underwear, to find the three ghosts from last night.  
  
Of course it couldn't be that easy. Of course not. Ghosts need a proper exorcism.  
  
You've backed yourself into the sink, porcelain pressing into the small of your back, but the ghosts get no closer. They merely observe you curiously. The skinny one floats a little closer, floating off to one side to get a better look at you. You don't know what their deal is, but right now, they don't seem actively hostile.  
  
"N-Nani...?" You were able to force out as the other two follow the first's lead.  
  
"Ne~, kimi wa..." the smaller one hums, "... shojou desu ka?"  
  
_You are a girl?_  
  
Shit, tight shirts mean your tiny ass breasts get some display. You didn't think you'd have to explain this to a bunch of ghosts, but you guess this can be practice....?  
  
"Uh... watashi wa... shonen-shojou... ja nai...?" You hesitantly reply. If there are non-human people and things like _Grim_ around, being Nonbinary _can't_ be the most out there thing, right?  
  
"Ah, sou desu ka? [No gender for you then?]" Replied the large one.  
  
"[Sorry to assume], Kurumiko-chan~." The lanky one says, giving you an apologetic bow.  
  
_Kurumiko-chan???_  
  
Well, at least they understand what you're talking about.  
  
"A-... Arigatou... uh..." the lack of hostility and gentle teasing tone eases your nerves a bit, and you no longer feel the need to back away so readily from the ghosts.  
  
"Kimi no namae wa...?" If they're initial scare was just a prank of some kind, then maybe it wouldn't be bad to get to know the ghosts? You can't exactly kick them out without going full exorcist, so you may as well be pleasant with your unexpected roommates.  
  
"Ore wa Augusto, mata wa Gus desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." The small one starts. He tips his little top hat at you kindly, almost shyly, giving you a small smile.  
  
"Ore was Phineas desu! Yoroshiku." The large one says next, pulling off his top hat and giving you a more gentlemanly bow.  
  
"Ore wa Ezra desu~." You nearly jump out of your skin as a freezing finger pokes you in the side from behind. The lanky one comes forward from behind you, snickering all the while. "Yoroshiku."  
  
"Y-Yoroshiku." You return, "Watashi wa Kallisto. Mata wa Kal desu." The second part was tacked on almost as an afterthought, hoping you understood exactly what Gus was saying.  
  
"[Sorry for the scare last night. We just wanted to introduce ourselves.]" Phineas gives you another bow, and the other two follow suite.  
  
"[We'll leave you alone to shower now. Come on you two, let's give the kid some privacy.]" Gus tips his hat at you again, before grabbing the other two by the arm and dragging them to the door.  
  
"[See you in a bit, Lil' Chestnut~!]" Ezra pulls off his hat to wave at you, while Phineas gives you a polite wave instead.  
  
You watch the trio phase through the door, and huff a laugh when they vanish. Oddballs for sure, and mischievous, but not maliciously so.  
  
(You're still clueless as to what ' _Kurumiko-chan'_ is supposed to mean, but that will have to wait.)  
  
Well, best get back to your shower before the hot water runs out. You quickly pull off the rest of your sleepwear, grab the little shampoo and conditioner bottles from the toiletries and a towel, and hurry into the shower.  
  
After washing off all of yesterday, you feel much better about being awake. Returning to the mirror, one towel wrapped around your body and a smaller one being used to pat your hair dry, you grab the unopened toothbrush and toothpaste and free them from their packages. The steam from the single shower wasn't enough to fill the room with steam, despite raising the air temperature at least a small amount, so the mirror didn't fog up and-  
  
_...!?_  
  
_What the fuck is around your neck!?_  
  
Scrawled in a black ring around your neck are what look to be... _runes_?? And alchemy symbols?? You recognize the Nordic runes and old science symbols, but why the hell are they wrapped around your neck like world's most old school magic choker?!  
  
"What the shit..." Leaning over the sink to look closer in the mirror, you touch at the strange markings. There's no difference in the feeling of the symbols and the rest of your skin, and they really do seem to go all the way around your neck.  
  
So you have a mystery fucking _tattoo_ around your neck now. Great, wonderful. It's not even far enough down that the collor of your uniform shirt can hide all of it!  
  
There's nothing you can do about it now. All you can do is continue to get ready for the day and hope no one asks about it.  
  
Now, what can you have for breakfast? Crowely should be coming to get you and Grim soon....  
  
Hmm. Maybe you can get the ghosts to wake Grim.  
  
\----  
  
' _Would my brother have told me if he had any crazy moments like that entrance ceremony?_ '  
  
Ace didn't know, but he suspected his older brother might exaggerate the truth to make the tale grander than it was. Though it's not like Ace would tell his _parents_ what happened exactly, they likely wouldn't take their youngest being nearly burned to death by a rabid magic _racoon_ well.  
  
Still, it livened up that boring ceremony for a bit, before they all got herded to their dorms by their new dorm leaders.  
  
(Speaking of, what is _up_ with his dorm leader? That guy seems to have a stick shoved so far up his ass, it's the reason his posture is so perfect.)  
  
That whole mess aside, he's still amazed at just _being_ at Night Raven. This place is huge! It's no wonder classes don't start proper until tomorrow, all the incoming freshman need a day to at least map out where their classes are!  
  
He's coming back from the science lab (that isn't even attached to the school! It's off to one side and next to the school's own _botanical gardens_!) and heading towards Main Street to get back to the school proper and find the rest of his classes that are in actual classrooms.  
  
(He can see in the distance from the labs what looks to be an abandoned building. Checking his map in the school's guidebook says it's an abandoned dorm and that it's off limits to students and being caught vandalizing the place _will_ result in a severe punishment.  
  
Well, it can't be considered vandalizing the place if all he's doing is playing hooky out that way right?)  
  
He's meandering along, coming up to the end of the side path just off from the statues of the Seven, letting out a yawn as he goes (stupid dorm leader having them up so damn _early_...) when he spots something he wasn't expecting to ever see again.  
  
That demonic racoon thing that set the mirror chamber on fire _last night,_ walking around on Main Street with one of those little hand broom things you'd see packed with a little dust pan, sweeping leaves off the path with... another student?  
  
He squints at the boy also sweeping, trying to make out his details. Short brown hair, kinda feminine face, skinny looking... it wasn't until he got a good look at the boy's eyes that Ace realized that the boy was the 'Missing student' _also_ from last night. Brown eyes aren't exactly _common_ in Twisted Wonderland, and boy were _his_ striking in a manner that wasn't easily forgotten.  
  
(Nor was poor guy's judgment from the Dark Mirror. Magic so weak it was as if they didn't have any at all? You may as well have just called him Magicless and sent him home!)  
  
"[ _Just whistle while you work~_ ]" Sang the boy, tacking on a whistled tune as he danced a bit with the broom.  
  
Ace stopped and blinked. Was- Was that supposed to be a Unique Magic? Except the boy kept singing, and Ace only now noticed that there were some birds and squirrels starting to gather near the statues.  
  
"[ _And cheerfully together we can tidy up the place~_  
_So hum a merry tune~_  
_It won't take long when there's a song to help you set the pace~_ ]"

He stops at that point to clear his throat, pursing his lips and touching his throat in confusion.  
  
"Hmm... nope. Still can't understand a thing you're saying." Ace mimicked the sentiment from the racoon. He didn't understand a single bit of that, but the boy's voice wasn't bad. Higher than average, he might have been singing in a falsetto, but it was pleasant enough.  
  
The boy just chuckled a bit at the racoon, continuing to sweep the path.  
  
"It's fine. You like song?"  
  
"It was OK, for a henchman." The boy just smiled slightly at the racoon's grumbled answer, even if a light of confusion was present.  
  
"Sing more. Time... hurry up?"  
  
Well if that wasn't the most butchered string of Common he's ever heard. Does this guy not know Common?  
  
That thought made Ace stop.  
  
_Does_ this guy know Common? There was no way a teenager like everyone here would butcher Common as if they were a toddler only just learning to speak.  
  
What was up with _that_? Is he from some particularly far off land? Wait, that was Old Trade right? _Is_ there some place out there that still speaks Old Trade?? Or does this guy just have an obsession with ancient languages?  
  
Ace watches them a little longer from the side road. As far as he could tell, the racoon was being punished for last night's incident, while the other was supervising, even with the _very_ apparent language barrier.  
  
Ace would have just passed them by. He really should have just went by them quietly and went on with finding his classes.  
  
No, he has to hear the _dumbest_ thing come out of the racoon's mouth, because _of course_ the stupid thing doesn't know who the Seven are, despite it's claim that it will be the 'Greatest Magician' or some bullshit.  
  
And _of course,_ like the idiot he himself was, Ace's first immediate thought upon hearing _that_ was,  
  
' _I'm gonna fuck with this racoon so bad and they won't be able to do shit about it._ '  
  
He put on his best Show Man's Smile and stepped out onto Main Street, and unknowingly into what he would come to dub the _worst_ first day of school he's ever had.  
  
"You don't know about the Queen of Hearts?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ace has finally made his appearance!! He was actually a little hard to write, I hope I got him down ok...
> 
> The ghosts are finally named and properly introduced now too! I named the ghosts after the Hitchhiking Ghosts in the Disney Haunted Mansion ride! The only 'Haunted' ride I've ever (unwillingly) ridden. I wanted to give them names connected to Disney that wasn't part of any of the movies, since that's where we get the cast, and those three fit perfectly to what I have in mind for the ghosts!
> 
> This chapter took far longer than I wanted it, but in repayment for you guys waiting so patiently, this chapter's a little longer than normal! I meant to get this out closer to my birthday (Jan. 30) but work and my coworkers taking me out to eat for said birthday decided that wasn't happening. Ah well, I had fun!
> 
> Anyways, as always, if you liked, leave a comment, or bug me over on [Tumblr](https://broken-synchronicity.tumblr.com/)! I might post previews of a side project I have for LiT over there if there's any interest, some missing scenes I'm gonna write out and compile, along with bonus and AU chapters I may write and put them in a separate book. Who knows!
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed!
> 
> EDT; woops! Forgot to mention, Brown eyes being rare in TWST comes from [this tumblr post](https://writing-for-me-at-this-point.tumblr.com/post/634642195690012672/you-know-what-got-me-thinking-i-know-twisted)! Can't believe I forgot that part.


End file.
